JACKRABBITS FALL TO TOMMIES

Wednesday, February 4

Brookings, S.D.

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

11-13,4-5Summit League

St. Thomas

19-6,8-2Summit League

St. Thomas (MN)

South Dakota St.

A men's basketball player in a white uniform dunks a basketball

2/4/2026 8:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Andrew Pedersen

BROOKINGS, S.D. – St. Thomas shot 71% from the field in the second half and used a 17-0 scoring run to pull away from South Dakota State for a 77-62 road victory on Wednesday, Feb. 4, inside First Bank & Trust Arena.

The Jackrabbits led in the early going, taking a 12-5 lead with 13 minutes, 44 seconds remaining in the opening half. The Tommies whittled away at the SDSU advantage and an 8-0 scoring run put St. Thomas ahead 18-16 at the 9:18 mark.

St. Thomas stayed in front, going ahead by as many as seven, but SDSU cut into the deficit. A Matthew Mors 3-pointer capped the first-half scoring as the Jackrabbits trailed at halftime, 31-28.

Both teams shot under 40% from the field, however the Tommies had eight more field goal attempts and turned the ball over just once. They also went 7 of 26 from 3-point range, while the Jacks were just 2 of 14.

A six-point scoring stretch for South Dakota State gave the Jackrabbits a 35-33 edge just over two minutes into the second half. SDSU held on to a 40-38 margin with 15:38 to play, but it'd be the last lead of the contest for the Jacks.

A 17-0 scoring run, that spanned over four minutes, put the Tommies in front 60-42. St. Thomas led by as many as 20 during the second half.

South Dakota State briefly cut the deficit to 10 following a stretch of seven consecutive points as the clock dipped under five minutes. St. Thomas didn't allow the margin to get back down to single digits.

St. Thomas went 15-for-21 from the field in the second half, including 6-for-9 from 3-point range, and 10 of 12 at the free throw line to close the game out. The Tommies turned the ball over just five times in the matchup. They improved to 19-6 on the season and 8-2 in Summit League play.

South Dakota State was narrowly outshot 48-44%, but was held to a 18.5% clip from deep and made only five 3-pointers. SDSU outrebounded St. Thomas by a 35-29 margin but committed nine turnovers.

NOTES

Joe Sayler led the Jackrabbits in scoring with 16 points. He was followed by Mors who knotted 13. Kalen Garry recorded a career-high 12 rebounds while he and Damon Wilkinson had a team-high three assists apiece.
St. Thomas earned its first victory in Brookings during its Summit League tenure. The Jackrabbits are now 4-1 against the Tommies at home and 16-11 all-time in the series.

UP NEXT
South Dakota State continues its home stand on Saturday when the Jackrabbits host South Dakota. The Interstate Series, presented by First Interstate Bank, matchup is slated for 5 p.m. inside First Bank & Trust Arena.

-GoJacks.com-